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The Best Gear To Have On A Day Hike When You’re Over 60

During my trip to the Canadian Rockies, I went on an Alpine day hike at gorgeous Lake Louise with my daughter. Our hike wasn’t Everest but was challenging for me. I was glad my daughter had the foresight to hire a guide. He was wonderful, but because I’m over 60, there were a few things I could have done or brought with me to make the hike easier.

Train beforehand

I walk 5-6 miles every morning wearing a fitness tracker. You’d think that would be great training for a hike, but there’s a difference between walking on flat ground and climbing uphill. Thirty feet into the hike, I was huffing and puffing and feeling old. It was embarrassing. I should have trained on a treadmill with elevation, or done more rigorous cardio exercise.

Balance is super important

As we age, we get wobbly. The last thing you want to do is go home with a twisted ankle or a concussion. Our guide gave me a pair of Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles to use, which are highly rated. They reduce the impact on your knees, joints, and leg muscles, and give you lateral stability, which is always a good thing if you’re over 60. When you use poles, you exercise your arms as well as your legs and work your entire body. They help to regulate your resting heart rate, blood pressure, increase your oxygen consumption and exercise capacity.

They also helped me ease into a steady walking rhythm. If you use poles that are spring loaded they reduce strain on your wrists. And the nice thing is that most of them are retractable for easy carrying. I don’t want to EVER climb a steep hill without them.

They’re slightly different in design than trekking poles but look almost the same. The difference is that trekking poles have adjustable locking straps to maintain contact with the grips and concave, carbide Flextips for non-paved surfaces. They’re also adjustable for differences in terrain.

Nordic Walking poles have a releasable strap system and removable rubber tips to use on pavement or indoors. They’re a fixed length to give you more strength and swing ability. If you’re looking to step up your walking routine and tone your entire body, they’ll really do the trick.

Stay safe when you’re taking photos

In other words, don’t hold your smartphone when you hike. We have a ton of film students who live in our apartment complex. Whenever I go for a walk there’s someone strolling down the sidewalk or crossing a street with their eyeballs fixated on their phone. I wonder how they avoid tripping or getting hit by a car. I took a bunch of photos when we went on our day hike, but I didn’t want to hold my phone because then I’d have one less hand to catch myself if I slipped. Instead, I had to keep putting it inside my backpack. That meant taking the backpack off and turning it around to fetch my phone.

I saw a woman hiking on the trail who had a smartphone pocket attached to the front of her backpack so she could quickly grab her phone to take a shot. It was the perfect solution, so I looked online and found the Clakit Smartphone Strap Pack. You can use it on a day hike, when you’re traveling, or taking a tour and it comes in a variety of colors.

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Make sure to stay hydrated.

If you’re hiking, you should always carry enough water to stay hydrated, especially if you’re older. Dehydration can cause you to get dizzy or even pass out. When my daughter and I did a day hike at the Miraval Resort in Tucson, our guide gave us a fanny pack to wear that held two water bottles and had a purse in the middle. I remember thinking it was cool. The WATERFLY Fanny Pack with Water Bottle Holders is almost exactly the same and I love the colors. It’s adjustable for waist sizes 22” – 52”

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Be prepared for weather changes

When my daughter and I hiked around Emerald Lake, in Canada, it started to rain with thunder and lightning. We both ended up getting soaked. The next day, I made sure to take a light waterproof windbreaker with me. Even though it didn’t rain, it came in handy because we were at a higher elevation and it was slightly cooler. Once I heated up, it easily fit back into my backpack.

Women’s Outdry Ex Featherweight Shell Jacket – Columbia

Carry a backpack that won’t cause you pain

If you’re going on a day hike, a small backpack is all you need. It will carry your essentials but won’t weigh you down. Backpacks are also wonderful for traveling because you can store anything you pick up along the way like gifts, brochures, or guidebooks. The backpack pictured below is not only cute but is roomy and easy to carry.

Mountainsmith 16 Hiking Backpack at Ebags

Use and wear sun protection

It’s also a good idea to wear a hat that won’t blow away if there’s an updraft. I was wearing a baseball cap that ended up in a river as soon as the wind came up. Whoops! I should have brought along my Columbia Sun Goddess Booney II Hat, that I wore when I sailed the Grenadines. It’s lightweight and ties under your chin so you have less of a chance of losing it.

Women’s Sun Goddess II Booney Sun Hat at Columbia

Of course, you should always wear sunglasses when you go on a day hike – especially if it’s sunny or if you’re hiking in snow. They’ll not only protect your eyes from the sun, but also from branches, insects or other debris.

Tilley sunglasses at Warby Parker

Beware of mosquitos and other nasty things that bite

If there are mosquitos, they’ll find me. I’m their favorite host. I was eaten alive in the Caribbean, and also in the Canadian Rockies because I forgot to bring mosquito repellent. If you hate spraying on toxic poison, you may want to try something like All Terrain Herbal Armor DEET-Free Natural Insect Repellent. Others swear by Skin So Soft, by Avon. If you don’t want to use spray or oil try wearing an .

Just a note about mosquitos – They love the color black, which I usually wear so I don’t look chubby in photos. It’s better to wear light-colored clothing if you’re a mosquito magnet. My brother told me that Acetone is the best thing to repel mosquitos. Thanks, bro, but no thanks. That sounds nasty.

Don’t forget about lions and tigers and especially bears

Bears are everywhere. They even come down from the hills in Los Angeles. If you’re on a day hike and don’t have a guide armed with bear spray, like we did, take some along with you.

My favorite accessory – a large dog to scare away predators and to pull you up a hill if you get tired. I had a big dog that scared away two mountain lions once when I was hiking with my daughter who was 8-years-old at the time. My two little chihuahuas don’t quite cut it as protectors from vicious beasts so they stay at home.

Have fun on your next day hike. Where do you like to hike or do you prefer a gentle walk instead? Please leave a comment below.

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Comments

Good list! Outdoor adventures are so much more fun if you have the right gear. Love that you included the compass – people are so trusting of the electronics these days, and although those are getting more and more reliable there’s always the chance of failure right when you need ’em. Batteries never die in an old-school chart and compass!

I agree, Jennifer. The smartphone strap is great because it keeps you from holding your phone when you’re hiking. No one wants to fall and ruin their hike because they are holding or looking at their phone. And that way, if you want to take a photo it’s easy to stop and grab your phone.

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